Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 203: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent of the public sector reform if any undertaken over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28856/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Public Service Reform agenda has been pursued both centrally and by individual public bodies for many years. For example, under the Strategic Management Initiative of the mid 1990s, a series of changes were introduced in areas such as Human Resource Management and the Performance Management and Development System, Quality Customer Service and the creation of Customer Service Charters, better financial management, regulatory reform (particularly the introduction of Regularly Impact Analysis), Strategy Statements and Output Statements, and initiatives to improve openness and transparency.

More recently, the OECD Review of the Irish Public Service, commenced in 2006 and published in 2008, benchmarked the Public Service in Ireland against other comparable countries, and made recommendations as to the future direction of public service reform. On foot of the OECD Review, the Transforming Public Services programme was launched in November 2008 and set out an agenda for transformation across the Public Service.

During 2010, the Public Service Agreement was concluded with the public service unions and includes a significant number of commitments to Public Service reform. The first review by the Implementation Body set up under the Agreement has since concluded that solid and measurable progress is being made in its implementation. Notwithstanding developments to date, we are all clear that the cost of delivering public services must be reduced further, with fewer staff and tighter budgets, and that the Public Service must become better integrated and more customer-focused, as well as being leaner and more efficient.

For this reason and as outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to the most ambitious programme of Public Service Reform since the foundation of the State. This will take place in tandem with an equally significant programme of constitutional, political and institutional reform to ensure that there is a fundamental change in democratic and public governance, and a dramatic change in the cost efficiency and methods of delivery of public services. The Government wants to make progress on this issue quickly and a number of initiatives have already commenced. In addition, detailed implementation plans are being developed which encompass the commitments to Public Service Reform in the Programme for Government and priority areas from the aforementioned Transforming Public Services programme.

My Department has been given a clear mandate to drive and enable reform, and the focus now is on the key reforms required, and how and in what sequence they will be implemented, to ensure that substantive and tangible change is delivered within clearly defined timeframes. Our plans focus on actions to improve performance by organisations and individuals; ensure greater efficiency, effectiveness and economy; and ensure flexibility in the deployment of people and resources.

The ambitious programme of reform will be overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Public Service Reform, which is chaired by the Taoiseach and which I convene. A Reform and Delivery Office is being established within my Department to facilitate, drive and support the reform programme, and I announced the appointment of the Programme Director of this new office last week. This office will work closely with organisations across the Public Service, enabling them to drive the delivery of reform at a local level, as well as leading on cross-cutting reform initiatives.